BUSINESS FOCUS.

Dance studio lands on its feet

Instructor finds niche in Naperville

So you can't dance like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. A Naperville man says that, no matter how many left feet you have, you can still take a spiffy spin around the dance floor.

According to Tom Sterba, owner of Sterba's School of Dance, "All dancing is merely walking to music."

Sterba, 32, has given dancing lessons for 14 years. He competed professionally and worked for other dance companies before deciding to set up shop for himself about five years ago.

Sterba said he could dance before he could walk. Even though all he really wanted to do was dance, Sterba's mother insisted he finish his degree in business management, a tool that has served him well since he went into business for himself.

"This is fun and people say if you can find something to do that's fun, you'll never have to work a day in your life," he said.

Sterba has taught 3-year-old pupils and he has taught 89-year-olds. Lessons are taught individually or in groups that can sometimes be as large as 80. Anywhere from 600 to 800 students come through the door each year, he said.

About 25 styles of dance are offered at the studio, although Sterba doesn't teach ballet, tap or jazz dancing. Sterba said salsa, swing, cha-cha, waltz and rumba are the most popular at the studio.

"The rumba and the waltz are probably the easiest for people to learn because they basically involve box steps," he said. "We teach both American and international styles of dancing. People sometimes come here and say they have two left feet and could never dance, but I've yet to find anyone I couldn't teach."

Sterba's method involves making learning fun and allowing students to progress as fast and as far as they can. No set curriculum is offered that spells out what students will or should learn week by week.

"We can teach people to feel rhythm by clapping to the music. We all have rhythm. We get it from our mothers when we were inside them listening to their heartbeat," he said. "Some people just need a little more work in getting it out."

Many students, Sterba said, come to him because they have an upcoming wedding or another social event and want to be able to move about the dance floor with at least some aplomb. "Some have liked it so much and have enough ability, they've gone on to competitive dancing and have even appeared on television," he said, noting some of his students have appeared on PBS' "Ballroom Dancing."

Sterba's current dance partner, Christina Coduto, 27, a former instructor at the school, said the key to the studio's success is making students feel comfortable and teaching in a way that encourages interaction.

"I think things are kind of family oriented here. It's a place where kids can feel comfortable and interact," Coduto said. Sterba said his business has grown about five to 10 percent a year. Coduto thinks the business keeps growing, in part because the public's exposure to modern dancing is on the rise.

"There's been a steady increase in interest because of people seeing dancing on MTV and in commercials," she said. "It's rewarding to teach it and know you're helping lay a foundation and watch people becoming more excited."

"The hardest thing to teach, in terms of dancing, is patience," Sterba added. "People are beginning to appreciate more the idea of dancing with a partner. It's a nice way to connect with another person, but it doesn't have to be serious."